Kunihiko Maeda
Kunihiko Maeda (前田 邦彦 Maeda Kunihiko) is a main character in Parasite Eve, and also returns in The 3rd Birthday. Personality Maeda is an intelligent Japanese scientist who has a strong interest in mitochondria and the original Eve. As well as this, he is very rigid to the ways of science, claiming that he won't believe in anything without "evidence." He is very shy and polite and because of this, he has a hard time communicating in contrast to Aya Brea and Daniel Dollis. English isn't his first language so he occasionally has difficulty speaking, though in the The 3rd Birthday, Maeda becomes fully fluent. He also seems to have a crush on Aya but never has admitted it. Maeda's excitement at learning about Aya's genetic mysteries and capabilities verges on the unseemly, although some would say that only proves he's one of those rare scholars who will never lose his passion for challenging the unknown. Biography Prior to Parasite Eve, Maeda worked as a scientist, residing in the pharmaceutical department at a Japanese university as a postdoctoral researcher. After an incident that took place years ago, he has devoted his studies to mitochondria. ''Parasite Eve'' After hearing of the Opera Theater Incident at Carnegie Hall, Maeda flies to New York City. He sneaks into the evacuated city and finds an unconscious Aya in a horse carriage and takes her to a vacant apartment in Soho. Maeda continues to assist Aya and Daniel, giving them insight into Mitochondria Eve. Throughout the game, he gives Aya good luck charms which serve no purpose in game. He also develops the mitochondrial bullets laced with DNA that helps Aya kill the Ultimate Being. Eventually, he concludes that the incident of Mitochondria Eve is only one of the many disasters that will come to pass, if humanity does not change its lifestyle and consider the consequences which is endangering the Earth in a mirror reflection to how the game's mitochondria is a parasite to the host. After Aya defeats Eve, Maeda goes along with Aya to the opera at Carnegie Hall with Daniel and Ben. ''Parasite Eve II'' Maeda doesn't make an appearance in the second game, but is referenced a few times. In the character epilogues, it is revealed that Pierce Carradine is now working with him on "super human" study after the events of the game. By identifying neo-mitochondrial DNA, he calculated the frequency of latent carriers over a 10 year span. His theory that these carriers would lead the evolution of the human species is not widely accepted. ".44 Maeda sp" bullets are available for the Mongoose magnum, which is some of the most powerful ammo available for Aya. Between Parasite Eve II and The 3rd Birthday Maeda returned to Japan for a period afterward, but NASA soon pegged him to participate in an interdisciplinary project. After presenting many research papers, Maeda became involved in the development of genetic cloning technology in Germany at the lab of Bonn University professor Friedrich Gehrmann. Distinguished scholars from all disciplines gathered in Gehrmann's lab, but once the Twisted appeared in 2010, the program disbanded, as its participants practically went into hiding. ''The 3rd Birthday'' After hearing of the appearance of the Twisted, Maeda immediately sets off for New York in order to research them. Maeda purchased an old warehouse which he converted into his laboratory where he can continue his research in peace. After the CTI murders in December 2013, Maeda once again met up with Aya. The two of them continued their research into the Twisted and he helped Aya use her Overdive ability once again, even though she can no longer go to the past with it. In February 2014, Maeda supports Aya when she overdives to the Babel, often encouraging her and informing her of the current situation. His current whereabouts is his protection shelter in which Aya Overdives. Maeda also notes that his current residence is invulnerable and will have no interruptions while Aya Overdives. After the events of the game, Maeda studied in Friedrich Gehrmann's lab at Bonn University in Germany. Maeda received high praise for his work on ribosomal structure. It went on to earn him the prestigious Wolf Prize, which is said to be a precursor to the Nobel Prize. Quotes * "Scientists can't believe anything without proof... It's... it's just one of those things." * "They weren't kidding when they said they sell guns here in America, were they..." * "Are you familiar with Richard Dawkin's theory of the 'Selfish Gene'?" Trivia *Maeda is apparently 3 years younger in the manga adaptation. *Maeda is 170 centimeters tall and weighs 52 kilograms. *In The 3rd Birthday, Aya can unlock some of Maeda's emails. The emails are between him and two other people and they talk about Aya like a test subject. In the emails the three people use nicknames; "The Cowardly Lion", "The Scarecrow", and "The Tin Man", all references to The Wizard of Oz. *He can be seen in the final scene along with Cray, Gabrielle and Emily. He appears for a brief moment crossing the street, which means he was in New York long before the Twisted were created. When asked about it, it is implied that he may have chosen to surprise Aya with his visit. *Unlike the first game, the The 3rd Birthday version of Maeda is less shy and seem to be perverted in some way, to the point of being described as a "lecherous creep." His portrayal surprised a lot of fans of the first game. If Aya looks out to the shower in Maeda's Base (while on the staircase), she notices that the roof isn't concealed and she ponders if Maeda has been spying on her. Gallery ''Parasite Eve'' Maeda_portrait.png|Portrait. LUL1.gif|Maeda speaks to a xenophobic cop. LUL2.gif|The cop is set on fire. pe ending 1.png|Maeda with Aya and Daniel at the harbor. pe ending 3.png|Maeda nearly confessing his feelings for Aya. pe ending 5.png|Maeda asked to sit down. pe ending 8.png|Maeda watching the opera. pe ending 9.png|Maeda under mitochondria possession. ''The 3rd Birthday'' CharacterSketchesMaedaOutfit.jpg|Concept art of Maeda in The 3rd Birthday. MaedaPortrait.png|Portrait. MaedaModel.png|Model. MaedaModel2.png|Model. Category:Characters Category:Parasite Eve characters Category:The 3rd Birthday characters